The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has completed a critical month-long safety operation aimed at addressing the safety risks posed by heavy vehicles during the grape harvest season. NHVR officers across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia conducted more than 270 heavy vehicle inspections throughout Operation Fortified, focusing on fatigue management, grape spillage incidents and undertaking mechanical inspections to ensure compliance with vehicle standards.
NHVR Acting Director of Southern Region Stephen Bryers said officers concentrated compliance and enforcement efforts on strategic locations across Vic, NSW and SA, and provided education to drivers on how to meet their safety obligations in 88 of the intercepts conducted.
“This is the fifth time Operation Fortified has been undertaken in both SA and Vic, and each time the NHVR has led this operation we have seen the rate of non-compliance steadily decrease,” Mr Bryers explained.
“We detected a non-compliance rate of around 38% during this year’s operation, with the majority of offences either mechanical, fatigue or permit related.”
The NHVR has released a Wine Code of Practice to guide and educate producers, distributors and transport operators about hazards and risks of the wine industry and ways to remove or reduce those risks.
Wine industry operators in Victoria can also access resources and information about grape transport safety through Community RoadSafe Mildura. Community RoadSafe Mildura was recently recognised at the WorkSafe Awards, jointly receiving the OHS Leadership and Achievement award for their initiative in improving road safety in the Sunraysia district through their Heavy Vehicle Forum. Presenting organisations participating in the Heavy Vehicle Forum include NHVR, Victoria Police, Transport NSW Roads and Worksafe Victoria.
Read more: NHVR puts the brakes on grape harvest hazards in latest safety operation | NHVR